Select a comic book you don’t mind cutting up. Start cutting out people and panels you like. (Tip: cut out a large area around each character, because you never know when you’ll want to use some of their background too). Make a large pile of these images.

I would recommend starting with the toe of the shoe, since I found that to be the most difficult to get smooth. Position an image on the toe, and when you’re happy with it, glue that sucker down using the sponge on a stick and some Mod Podge. On the first shoe I made (Magneto), I tried to pleat the image at the very front of the toe to smooth it out, which ended up looking a little weird. On the second shoe I made (Professor X), I made sure the image was smooth in a vertical line from top to bottom, then cut darts (little snips) in the sides of the picture so I could smooth it out horizontally. I think the result with Professor X was better, because the front was smooth. I covered the areas I had darted with other images, so you couldn’t see the darts.

Once the toe is smooth, work your way around the shoe pasting other images on. I liked to mix up whole panels with cut-out characters. I also slapped on some “BOOM” and “MUTANT” words for extra comic-y goodness.

When the whole shoe is covered in comics to your satisfaction, trim off excess comic above and below your shoe’s edges. (I’ve read some tutorials that do this as they go, carefully cutting each comic to size before gluing them, but I found it easier to glue everything down and then go along the edges with scissors and cut off the excess. To each their own.). At this point, if any of the edges missed glue or are coming unglued, take the time to carefully glue them down. For stubborn areas, you may need to stick some glue in there, and then press it down with your fingers for 60 seconds.

Now coat the entire shoe in a thin layer of Mod Podge, which will dry clear and glossy. Wait for it to dry (at least a few hours?) and then repeat. Wait and repeat again. Total = 3 coats. Outdoor Mod Podge was selected because it’s waterproof, and therefore all your hard work won’t melt in the rain.

Some people stop at the last layer of Mod Podge. I found it had a mildly unpleasant stickyness, so I did a final two coats with a finishing spray. The one I used was Krylon “Preserve It!” digital photo and paper protectant. It took away a bit of the glossiness, but had a really nice smooth finish that was pleasant to the touch. It’s also moisture-resistant, and protects against UV rays. I stuck tin foil into the shoes to protect the inside lining from the spray. Also, make sure to spray outside, because you do not want to breathe it in.